Virulent: The Reckoning
by B.K.Toon
Summary: The coming of ragnarok as seen through the eyes of two sisters.
1. Chapter 1: The Begining of the End

Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

In the time before the coming age of today there was such a thing as magic, dragons, good and evil. The world was at balance. But every so often, an anomaly occurs…one that seems as if it has no counter balance. One that spreads through the land at alarming speed and shows no sign of stopping. This something can only be described by the one word that sounds as if it was created solely for this reason…this anomaly, is Virulent…

"Haide! Haaaiiiddee!!!"

"Huh...what…" Haide Sakshuro dreamily muttered as her mind snapped back into the real world at the sound of her mothers' voice.

At age 11, Haide wasn't the most "pretty" girl in her village. She normally would just stare off into nothing…more often then not while moving…earning her various cuts and scrapes. She had gone through various schools, but was expelled from each one for breaking and entering teachers' rooms to steal test answers…though no one could prove it.

"Haide…" Sakura, Haides mother, said with a knowing distaste, "What have I told you about day dreaming when there is work to be done?"

Knowing how often her daughter reminded her of herself often brought chills to her bones.

Having climbed up onto her feet, Haide took a moment to examine that she was in fact awake, and remembering that she was supposed to gather water from the well, groggily replied, "Not to…though it's not my fault! It just happens!"

"You're so much like me when I was your age, always 'spacing out,'" Sakura said with a sigh, "By the way, Have you seen your sister?"

Thinking back to a whole 10 minutes is really challenging for children, especially one who prefers to pretend to pay attention to their younger sisters plans for the day.

"Uhhh…. I think she was over in the bamboo field meditating or something."

"Why don't you take up martial arts like your sister, dear?" Haides mother asked with interest, "It can really do you good."

"I dunno mom, it's just not my thing you know." Haide said while snatching a fly out off mid air. In fact, little did her mother know, Haide was highly interested in martial arts, and secretly snuck off to join her sister from time to time to practice.

"Hmm well, hopefully you pick something a little more respectable then what I picked as a life." Haides mom said with a grin as she too caught a fly.

"What? What did you do?" Haide said clenching her fists forgetting about the fly, "eeeeeew."

"I picked something that is rather low in the world, something you'd be as good as me in, seeing as you're always sneaking about, and have great reflexes." Mother explained while letting the fly gently leave her hand.

"Come on mommmmmm" Haide said beginning to get impatient, "Tell meeeee."

Knowing just as well she shouldn't…Sakura knew that once Haide found something interesting, she would continue to pester her until she gave in.

"I chose to follow the life of a rouge, stealing from or for anyone with money." Mom explained with a slight tinge of guilt in her voice, "but it was better then my first choice, that of an assassin."

Good assassins are one of the richest people in the world; were constantly in demand for 'silencing' people, even if it is a despicable job.

Haide looked at her mom in confusion, "Then why didn't you stay like that, earn lots of money!"

Her mom chuckled, "If I did that, you wouldn't have been born, and your father would be dead."

Her face becoming a ghostly white at this revelation, she responded the best way any 11 year old could do when faced with a disturbing answer…"Oh…"

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_That which has boundaries can be passed._

_That which has rules can be broken._

_Everything is nothing, and nothing is everything._

These thoughts flashed through her mind as Daioo Sakshuro, a year junior of her sister Haide, cleanly punched through a bamboo target dummy. Jumping backward and kicking off a pole she then vaulted over another dummy and jump kicked its head while grabbing onto its arm, throwing it into another dummy with bone crushing force.

"Well done!" Sensei Akami applauded, "You're learning faster then I did, at this rate you could very well replace me as the head martial artist in this region!"

Having spent hours nonstop smashing over a hundred target dummy targets; Daioo wiped the sweat off her forehead and Blushed, "Thank you Sensei!"

Without warning, Akami tackled Daioo to the ground and proceeded to play fight with her, with Daioo trying ever so hard to fight her off.

After a few hours of playing around, Akami and Daioo both collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

Tossing a bottle of grape juice to her student, Akami glanced at the suns location,

"We are done for today, you can go home and rest now."

Daioo looked disappointed, "I don't think my family can pay you for today…"

"How many times do I have to tell you Dai," Sensei laughed, "I owe your mom big time, she only pays me on occasion so I can buy transport back to the Capital."

"That's the first time you've told me though…" Daioo said with a tint of anger.

"Well then I guess that answers my question!" Akami said while waving off Daioo, "See you in the morning when I leave."

Feeling regenerated from the juice, the young monk stood cheerfully to her feat and waved goodbye to her best friend and sensei.

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There was fire everywhere. Blood. Smoke. Bodies. Death. Out of all the scenes visible, one in particular was being focused on. A hooded man shrouded in evil hoisting a blurry figure into the air and obliterating his essence. Then he marched foreword with pure malicious intent…

"Ahhh!!" Haide screamed in terror as she woke from her dream.

A dark form rushed into the room moments later bearing a lamp.

"What's wrong dear? Another nightmare?" Kisho, Haides father asked with concern.

Tears streaming from her face, "yes, it seemed more real this time."

Her father looked at her with an almost eerie look of knowing concern, "Tell me what you saw…"

Haide stared blankly back at her father, "what, why, its only a dream…"

"Haide…tell me, I want to know." Father said caringly.

After explaining with great detail about what she dreamt of, Haides father looked as if he was turned to stone. Then with a quick jerk of his hand, he struck at his own daughter, who was already blocking the attack before he made contact.

"What's wrong with you?!" Haide practically yelled, "You tried to hit me!"

"Just as I thought, you have your mothers gift, wake your sister and take her to the cellar." Mr. Sakshuro ordered, clearly disturbed.

Starting to cry, "What, what gift? What's wrong?! Tell me!!" shouted Haide.

Her father replied with haste, "The gift of precognition; the gift your mother lost after having you."

"I don't understand," Haide cried.

Kisho said dryly, "It means you see things before they happen, and like your mother, you see it more clearly and with greater feeling the day it happens."

Just then, they both heard a sound like distant thunder coming closer. Kisho turned to his daughter with a look of fear, "Do as I say… something's happening."


	2. Chapter 2: Dark Times

Chapter Two: Dark times

The thunder ceased and an eerie calm fell across the land.

A cloaked man in black stood at the top of a hill overlooking a small village in the continent known as "Midgard".

He did not come here to just observe the scenery, and the people who lived there knew this as well. He almost grinned as he watched the meagre forces of this village gather. At this he casually raised his hand; as if in a gesture of invitation, and muttered a string of words that obliterated those that defied his coming.

His army surged foreword.

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There was a deafening explosion from outside. The smell of smoke filled the air.

The battle for this little village had begun; with the cries of combat and death that would have given Odin himself have nightmares. With the Sakshuro family prepared themselves for what was to come.

"Haide! Daioo!" Sakura cried out as she put on her old combat outfit, "Stay in here no matter what!"

"Mom! Where are you going?" whimpered Daioo, "Don't leave us!"

"Listen to your mother Dai," Kisho said dryly, as he too suited up, "Haide…I want you to promise something"

Holding back tears, Haide murmured, "wha…what."

"I want you to stay with your sister all the time, do not leave her, alright?"  
"Alright," Haide said, now fully crying, "I don't want you to go!"  
"I know you don't, but this is something we have to do"

Hugging each daughter for the last time, both parents stepped outside to meet their fate, and hopefully give their daughters a life.

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Survivors of the initial blast made their stand in the village itself in a vain attempt to hold of the Hellish army of men and Orc of the Dark Wizard. Watching over the slaughter, a pair of defenders caught his attention. One, the male dressed in clothes more suited to an arms smith, was wielding a magnificent axe that appeared self-made. The other, a female, wore closer fitting leather armour, and was wielding a dagger in each hand as unique as the axe. Both were slaying everything that came near them. The Wizard watched them slaughter his troops before growing weary, decided to end this himself and entered the village. Wherever he past, a trail of corpses lay behind him, some did not even know they died; most were barely classifiable as corpses. One in particular was a female warrior of amazing strength. Around her lay the bodies of at least 30 of his troops, each brutally dismembered by nothing but her hands. He had but to will her life from existence with an energy blast and identified her now unrecognizable corpse as "Akami" by the Master Fighters armband. Pity she didn't join his army, this "Akami", would have made a fine addition.

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It wasn't so much a battle, but a slaughter for the Sakshuro couple. Wave upon wave of men and orcs and other humanoids unidentifiable were mercilessly terminated by Kisho's axe and by Sakura's blades. They did it not for the sake of defending the village…that was an impossible fact they realized the instance the Dark One's shadow cast upon the land, but to give their children a chance at survival.

Barely parrying a bone-shattering blow from what could only be defined as an "ogre" and disembowelling it with one flick of his wrist, Kisho was glad he made his own armour and weapons; they were just so much more dependable. Sakura on the other hand, was gracefully dodging and landing killing blows so fast even Kisho himself thought that his wife was in two places at once. Soon after this thought, he noticed that the enemy forces stopped coming their way and Kisho felt the hairs on his neck raise from what he saw walking their way.

"Honey, we have company…" Kisho whispered to his wife.

"I see him dear." She responded, almost realizing that it was time.

They readied their weapons…

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The Dark Wizard approached the couple with an unnerving look of pleasure. It was far too uncommon to find someone who would arouse his interest. More often then not his hellish army took all the fun from him, forcing him to but watch the carnage. As he moved, he casually observed the bodies of his troops as if they were nothing more then decoration. The Dark One stopped a good dozen metres from the pair of warriors that he so eagerly wished to _annihilate_, and he let it show by how lax his stance was. At first, it was a stand off with neither side making a move. Then with a flash the man lunged toward Him axe in hand. With a simple spell, the Wizard erected a shield of energy that shattered the arrogant mans axe into a million tiny fragments and with a sudden grab at this fool hardy souls neck, lifted him up in the air with ease…

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"Kisho!!" screamed Sakura as she ran with murderous intent towards the fiend holding her husband. Even if she knew that her husband was about to cease living, yelling his name was going to endanger her children's lives; for it worried Haide enough for her to peek through a crack in the cellar door. To her horror, Haide saw what she had been dreaming taking place right before her eyes. Only now, instead of a shadowy figure in the grip of the hooded man, she saw her own father clear as daylight...

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The Dark Wizard had had enough toiling, and ended this puny beings life by forcing mystic energies through his hand and into this weakling's head, ever so violently eradicating him. At that moment, the woman struck faster then the Sorcerer could anticipate, and a horrifying gash along his face became the result. As he spun around casting a ball of pure energy, he caught a glimpse of light to his left and just narrowly dodged another strike from his attacker…or so he thought. A wave of pain shot through his body as he noticed he was now missing a fairly large chunk of what was once his left arm. Out of pure rage the Wizard waved his unharmed arm and muttered inaudibly. In that very instance a wall of fire was created in the direct path of the lightning fast women…having smashed into the ether real flame…she was sent backward through a cellar door, where the Dark One never had to deal with her again.

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With a loud crash Sakura flew through the cellar door, nearly landing on top of her very daughters. Although her body broken, and her life energy quickly evaporating, Sakura managed to somewhat remain conscious. In so much pain, She was unaware of her daughters' cries of terror.

Sakura proceeded to painfully crawl through the cellar and to a seemingly blank wall, leaving a trail of blood in the process. Gently tapping 3 oddly shaped bricks in a specific order, the wall split in half revealing two old beat up chests. Both Haide and Daioo stood dazed, not sure what to do.

"Daioo…" Sakura said to her youngest daughter, obviously in pain, "This chest is for you…Haide this one is yours…I'm…so…sorry…"

With that, the woman the girls knew as their mother died, and knowing they were now completely alone, cried silently into the night.


	3. Chapter 3: The Virus Infects

Chapter Three: The Virus Infects

The Dark Wizard wandered through the village, overseeing the "clean up." Most survivors surrendered; some were accepted into his ever-growing army, while others were killed outright. It was during one of these executions that the Wizard himself noticed some of his own units wandering into the very cellar the annoying woman he killed was in. Normally this would not interest him, but after sometime, the orcish knights did not return in a physical sense, only quickly silenced grunts. Something was amiss; The Dark Wizard marched forward to investigate.

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"Dai…" Haide said softly to her sister, "we have to let her go…"

Daioo had been clutching to her mothers remains crying inaudibly, and barely acknowledged her older sisters request.

It had been uncountable hours, maybe days, for the Sakshuro sisters. When their very world came to a sudden halt with the death of their parents.

Daioo looked up at her older sibling with tears streaming, "b...b...but what are we to do?"

Being the older sister, Haide had to be the first one amongst the two of them to come back to reality and realizing that their past life was over, and that they must continue on if they were to survive.

"I don't know…we have to get away from here; maybe mom and dad left us money in these chests or something." Haide said with sadness.

"I hope so…"

With some difficulty, Haide opened up the box with her name engraved in dull bronze. It was heavier then it looked, and the lid fell to the ground with a dull thud. But what she found in the chest was not money or food like she had hoped; it was something she least expected. It was the most beautiful set of katar blades she had ever seen, (and she had seen many due to who her parents were). It had a brilliant silver single blade with runes engraved near the base for left-handed weapon, and duel blade with similar markings for the right. The handles were a golden color with clearly ancient markings with possibly the world's finest leather for grips.

Daioo's box also held an equally magnificent set of weapons as well. But instead of bladed weapons, hers were fashioned into a form of knuckles. Silver diamond tipped studs protruded from the knuckles… with the biggest diamonds they had ever seen along the backside. Along side the weapons…there was a scrap of paper with an identical message on each:

_"Haide, Daioo; If you are reading this note, it means that me and your father are incapable of protecting you any longer. Inside these chests are ancient weapons that your father and I have kept hidden since before you were born. Each one has been magically sealed, and is ten fold the strength and durability then many of the best tools today. They are bound to each of you as you are to us. They are the embodiment of everything that you will stand for, though what that is, is a decision entirely up to you. Your father and I both love you very much, and no matter what happens, these weapons, along with your memories of us, will guide you to your destiny if you let them. _

_P.S. don't forget to wash behind your ears_

_Love always your parents;  
Sakura and Kisho"_

Fighting back tears once more, Haide picked up her katars and felt a tremendous sense of power flow through her body. It distracted her so much; she didn't notice the large figure hovering over her with weapon raised. Without thinking…Haide rolled to her left at the last possible moment, and turned to see a gruesome blood stained axe now occupying the space she was just in. Giving into the feeling that seemed to flow through her, she jumped back once more and kicked off the wall, dodging yet another horrifying weapon, this time a jagged claymore, and decapitated the axe wielding Orc. As Haide landed, the claymore that nearly took off her own head clashed ownerless beside her. Looking back she saw Daioo, equipped with her new knuckles, pulverizing what was once an Orcs face into a bloody pulp.

As the dust settled, and silence returned, both sisters looked at each other puzzled. Before they could say anything about what had just occurred, the light from cellar door was blocked by the man who started this all…

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Staring from the top of the stairs, the Dark One was curious at to the site before him. Laid about the cellar were two of his strongest warriors, each lacking any vital signs. As he scanned the room he noticed three shapes huddled in a corner. One he noticed right away as the woman who damaged his body, the other two were smaller. Children. He smiled to himself with a tinge of amusement at the though of mere children slaughtered his best warriors. Children of that accursed woman he gathered. To further expedite his enjoyment of the scenario he sent his two shadow guards, hand picked and trained to be his personal guards and assassins, to go kill the girls.

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Daioo was the first one to notice the cloaked one. With a flick of his wrist, two warriors appeared from the shadows as if they were such. With near inhuman speed they crossed the room and attacked. Haide was already dodging the twin blades of the first attacker, and Daioo parried the attacks of the other with uncanny ease. For what seemed like an eternity, the dance of death was played. Haide's twin katars switched from defence to offence and repeatedly struck so fast that the first attacker let out a horrible scream, as it realised it no longer had vital organs, or an abdomen for that matter, and collapsed to floor. The second attacker then broke combat and lunged at Haide, slashing a gash across her face, but otherwise left her unscathed. Upon seeing her sister wounded, Daioo gave into her rage and five orbs of pure light started to form around her. She shouted at the top of her lungs words that meant nothing to her and crossed the distance between her and the attacker instantly. With a brilliant flash of light the second attacker was reduced to nothing more then atoms. As both girls rose, they charged the cloaked man but were stopped in their tracks by a concussive blast from his raised hand, knocking them unconscious.

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The fight lasted fifteen seconds. With a sense of astonishment, the Wizard let out a laugh as the remains of his most loyal and deadly guards were strewn about the room. He must have those girls he thought, and signalled warriors that had gathered outside into the room to collect them. They would make fine additions to his cause indeed.


	4. Chapter 4: The Virus Spreads

Chapter 4: The Virus Spreads

_Eight years later…_

Flash of darkness flew through the corridor silently. It ran past guards, patrons, and open rooms without so much as turning a curious eye from them. Only for an instance did it stop, hanging upon the roof. This figure was an assassin. With near skin-tight cloths died in a pale black, along with a light green belt and taped shoes, she almost looked more like a dancer then a hired killer. Her hair was a beautiful jet black, and her eyes a fiery blood red. The only thing the betrayed her beauty was a horrible scar along her left cheek just below the eye.

As she clung to the ceiling the way only those trained in the deadly arts know, she surveyed the wide hallway. Four exits available. Doors at the end of the hall, the ones she came from, and the two windows. She also took note that she was on the fourth floor, and that the window on the right led to the third floor bridge roof, and the window on the right was a 200m drop onto solid rock. She waited…

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"Yawn. This is so boring," said Joe, one of the palace guards, "We always get stuck on night shift."

"Yeah well, least you haven't worked twenty-four hours straight yet," wearily replied his partner as they patrolled the dark hallways of the palace.

"Whoa…did you hear that?" inquired Joe.

"No, nothing, these hallways do play tricks on your mind at night Joe, so settle down."

"Wait…there it is aga-" Joe's voice trailed off as he pointed to a darkened corner where the lights did not shine.

From the shadows, an extraordinarily gorgeous woman stepped into the light. With medium cut jet-black hair, blood red eyes, and combat monks form fitting outfit, the guards knew in an instance that she was not one of the maids in the palace.

"What-cha doing here girly? You know its not safe sneaking around here at night, you mi-" Joe's partner was abruptly silenced by the glint of the girls combat fists, and before he could draw his sword the last thing he saw was a silver streak colliding with his face.

Joe was not so ill prepared. He lunged at this mysterious attacker with only revenge on his mind and he swung horizontally. However, his sword only managed to contact with was the corridors wall, and he looked up in time to see the woman's bladed grieves cleanly plant itself into the side of his head and he never had to worry about those pesky night shifts again.

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The lord knight and king of the palace, followed by his elite honour guards, strode into the hallway unknowingly aware that they would soon be amongst their ancestors. For as soon as the last guard entered the passageway, the assassin dropped from the roof and slit his throat, making an effort to make as much noise as possible. As the other guards spun around weapons drawn, the lord drew his own blade of the finest emperium and stood fast…but no attacker was visible. The guard whose fate was sealed still stood as if planted to the ground, only a blood-spattered blade imbedded in his neck gave way to his lifeless state. Too their astonishment, the blade suddenly moved as if on its own, leaving the guard to fall. A second blade, this one unblemished with blood appeared at the firsts parallel. One of the honour guards took a stab at the area between the blades but only managed to have his head removed. Before his body crumpled to the ground, too faintly glowing knives appeared and flew into the necks of the remaining two guards. These knives were imbued with poison, and as such, began to quickly dissolve those unfortunate souls' very essence and the collapsed to the floor writhing in pain before liquidating completely.

"Who's there?" demanded the lord knight; clearly frightened.

"I am she who silences those who trouble my master," said an invisible voice.

"As am I," a second voice, this time from behind, replied.

It was in this moment the Lord Knight suddenly found himself with a fist through his chest, and a blade through his neck. And the invisible voice that was wielding the katars suddenly had a face, and turning slightly around, the second voice had the same. The King then discovered the laws of gravity first hand, and through his freefall, those blood red eyes of his attackers haunted him until the ground met him with a merciful release.

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"What took you so long Venumn?" Toxik, the assassin, asked her partner.

"Oh you know, flirting with the night guards," Venumn, a monk, sheepishly answered, "one of them was cute."

With an audible sigh, Toxik reprimanded her sister for a few moments on the etiquette of "stealth" and was interrupted by the arrival of more palace soldiers whom were alerted by the King deciding to 'drop in' the guardhouse.

"We'll finish this later." Toxik scolded, and guided her sister out the other window, onto the roof, and into the night.

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It had been a long, cold night for Haide and Daioo in the Dark Wizards keep. Deep within the great castles of Glast Heim, he had made their lives worse then any hell thought possible. The first week in the keep, the Dark One had given them nothing but a few cups of water and no food. Then he began their training.

At first he let them feel like they escaped their cell, allowing them to develop their ability to sneak around in a hostile environment. After a sufficient time, he then began their combat training. He let his troops, who had long desired to kill the girls due to their "special" treatment, into the Sakshuro sisters cell (he knew the name from the engravings on their weapons which he had gathered and stored for the time being). None of those few who entered the cell left with souls attached to their bodies.

During the many years of torture he had succeeded in shaping both Haide and Daioo into ruthless killing machines, loyal to his cause. They took their place among his personal shadow guards. To make them look the part, he gave them each a jet-black uniform along with green taped boots and belt to signify their rank in his army. The Dark Wizard next, decided to give them their codenames; Haide became Toxik, and Daioo Venumn, as they had become the embodiment of his will. A deadly toxin to those who opposed him that would do what ever his orders demanded, his and his alone…


	5. Chapter 5: Inoculation

Chapter 5: Inoculation

The day went by pretty usual at the Glast Heim castle. The Dark Lord met with, and in most cases disintegrated ambassadors with proposals of peace. Others entertained him enough that he let them live long enough to sign all of their kingdoms to him, and then he killed him. For Toxik, all she had to do was stand there and glare evilly at those who entered the master chamber. Which was easier then the job her sister Venumn always got. For she had the honorary task of removing the dead "guests" and feeding them to the Orc and other inhuman beasts under the command of the Dark One.

There was one ambassador who caught her eye though. He didn't look like one of the others for sure. This tall, lean man had the look of acceptance in his eyes, and an ever-knowing smile on his face.

"On behalf of her majesty Sohee, and the entire kingdom of Payon," declared the man as he handed over a royal message. "I bring you the following message, 'F--k you'."

Needless to say that man's life was terminated immediately, but the message greatly disturbed the Dark One.

"Toxik…. gather Venumn…." The Dark Lord said in a demonic tone. "We must silence this Queen or else she gather support to her cause."

Toxik knew the plan the minute her master said her name. It was simple really. She and her sister would infiltrate the palace and assassinate the Queen of Payon while the Dark Lords hellish army clashed with that of Payon. Toxik went to fetch Venumn.

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The fires raged. The armies of Payon proved...difficult, for the Army of the Dark One. They fought with such ferocity that they almost seemed the aggressor and not the one whom was slowly being slaughtered. But this was all but a mild concern, for the real battle had not started yet for Toxik or Venumn.

Having ever so easily snuck into the palace, they began their search for the Queen Sohee, so far the only, but not the last, Ruler to have stood against the Dark One, and went as far as to openly mock him.

Toxik figured that the Queen would have learned her lesson and left the Kingdom to burn, but to her surprise, Sohee was sitting atop her throne as if in defiance. There were no hidden troops, no extra elite forces, just herself and her royal guards. _Odd_, Toxik thought. The sisters rushed forward.

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The sounds of the battle outside had become fiercer as Payon's reserve troops arrived. The girls had to hurry. Sohee's royal guards proved to be quite a challenge. They fought with close quarter weapons so skillfully; she wondered if she was really fighting herself. Though dispatching them turned out to be easier then originally thought. As both sisters charged the Queen, a flash of blue whirred to existence in their path. _A trap?_ Toxik and Venumn both thought for second, but no further surprises arose.

The newcomer was dressed similarly to the Queen's honor guards, but he was wielding different weapons that made Toxik smile, _Katars_. This new man was not well built, rather skinnier then should be, with barely visible muscles. However, in spite of this, the final guard moved with such deliberate motions, Toxik knew in an instance that this fight was going to be hard.

"Take it easy Venumn, he's going to be a tough one." Toxik whispered to her sister.

"Gotcha, and you take it easy too, knowing you…" Venumn replied.

The Queen now stood up, but not in fear. She cast her wise look to the Assassins. "You girls are powerful indeed. I can see why the Dark One is afraid of you. Someday soon, you will realize that your place in life is not in the keep of his evil, but the antidote to his existence."

Both Toxik and Venumn looked at eachother in disbelief, and not bothering to contemplate the matter, attacked anyway, only to be stopped by the lightning fast blades of the Queen's final guard.

"You will also realize that CaCiOon is one of my most powerful assassins young Haide, orphaned much like you and your sister. He knows that his role is not to prevent you from killing me, but to set you free."

Having not heard her real name in many years and startled at to how Sohee knew of her past, Toxik was greatly shaken up. She lunged at the Queen only to yet again be deflected by this 'CaCiOon'. Toxik slashed outward with both her blades while CaCi moved inward, neatly stopping her assault. Venumn charge at him to but hit nothing but air as the Queens Guard suddenly moved backward and disappeared. _Assassin indeed_. Haide too cloaked, leaving Venumn standing in the middle of the throne room listening. The whir of metal and the clash of steel was all that was heard as Toxik and CaCiOon fought in the invisible realm. Not wanting to be left out, she stood her ground, closed her eyes, and a massive blue light began whirring around her. This light revealed both her Sister and her combatant. Before she could move to strike at him. A massive explosion ripped through the main doorway.

Sohee rose to her feet again, and a couple more royal guards came through a secret entrance from behind the throne and flanked her. As she headed toward the blasted door to face her fate, the Queen looked back at the three fighters in her throne and smiled, and stepped through the flame into the Dark One's sight.

"Your majesty!" CaCi yelled as he broke the engagement between the two sisters, but before he could reach her, a wall of fire sprouted from the ground into his path, preventing him from following suit.

Toxik took this moment to drive her blade through the mans chest, and in that moment, a great light enveloped the area; and she and her sister were suddenly outside, a great deal away from the Palace on a hill. Taking a second to gather herself, she let go of her opponent and allowed him to fall to the ground, lifeless. As he fell, a small pendant slipped out of his pocket and shattered open, revealing a small picture. Venumn picked it up and in an instance broke into tears. Curious, Toxik herself looked at the tiny memorabilia and she too, began to cry. On the picture was a younger CaCi, no older then she when her life came to an end, with his family members. In the background in the distance, there was a great dark cloud, similar to what the Dark Lord casts before he arrives. She knew right then, that this man lost his entire family moments after the picture was taken. Looking back onto the remnants of the battlefield, she saw her former master gathering all the surviving children and taking them away to serve as his slaves. No longer will she bend to is will, and Venumn had the same look; they both left the battlefield together thanking their now deceased savior for finishing his job, and headed out to find their future…


	6. Chapter 6: Recuperation pt1

Chapter 6: Recuperation: part 1

"Gawd why are these crates so freaking heavy." Da'hax; a rugged, yet handsomely built rouge whined to his Female captain.

"I don't care how heavy they are, just get 'em on the gorram boat, or do you want me to kill you _again_?" Die replied to her only crewmate with a mocking grin and pointing to her deviruchi pet. "Or maybe I should get fluffy to have his way with you."

"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is not "fluffy"! I am an all powerful demon that will kill you all in yo" The Deviruchi yelled, but was cut off by Die's hug.

"He's so cute sometimes!" She exclaimed squishing "fluffy".

"And you're insane" muttered both Fluffy and Da'hax.

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Hidden inside a shipping crate, Venumn and Toxik, ex-assassins for the feared Dark Wizard, stowed away aboard the first ship they saw in port.

It wasn't much, just a standard mid-sized vessel; strangely crewed by only two people and a deviruchi. This made it all the easier for the sisters to sneak and stow aboard.

They had spent many days, even weeks at sea with nothing but the sound of the occasional argument between the two crewmembers and the waves splitting against the bow. Where they were headed, Venumn and Toxik were not sure. Only the wind in the sails knew this.

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The sisters awoke to the ear shattering sound of wood being torn apart, and the shouts of anger from the crew of three; then there was suddenly silence, not even the sounds of the ocean could be heard.

Venumn was the first to sneak out of the crate, followed closely by Venumn. Looking around, they noticed half the vessel was missing. The half that the sisters were on wasn't even floating, but _under_ the water on the bottom of the sea.

"What…the…fuck?" asked Venumn, clearly confused at their current situation.

"I'm guessing we were inside some Force Storm caused by rouge magic and cast to the bottom of the ocean…" Toxik replied with sarcasm.

"Well, then what do we do then to get out of here? I'm pretty sure whatever magic is left wont stay around us very long, and I don't know about you, but _I_ can't _breathe_ under water."

Looking around, Toxik spotted a cave with a faint light.

"Let's go in there, we'll find away out from there." She explained with a cool calm.

Entering the cave, they jumped up onto a ledge, pretty difficult to do under water, and thankfully found that the rest of the cave was above water. The main cavern was huge, and surprisingly lit by torches scattered about.

Glancing back, Venumn pondered for a moment at the water they had just left, and turning to her sister asked, "so, how much time _did _we have left before inevitable crushing depths killed us?"

"You don't wan…" Toxik began to reply when the torches died.

Being completely silent, the girls scanned the pitch-black cavern, and then the unearthly screams broke the silence. Something was coming.

End part 1


End file.
